


Confessional

by Seaweed_Sister



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: After Manga, Crisis of Faith, Emotional, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Funny, Manga Spoilers, Surprise Kissing, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-21 02:44:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17634548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seaweed_Sister/pseuds/Seaweed_Sister
Summary: “Mai, I’m a priest.”Mai lay awake, those words echoing in her ears again and again. She pressed a pillow over her head, heat rising to her face,Stupid, why did you kiss him?Takes place after the main manga: Naru has gone back to England and Mai's feelings have shifted to another.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just re-read the last manga and realized that SPR actually stayed open when Naru and Lin left for England and Mori-san was going to take care of things while they were gone! Whoops!!!
> 
> Whatever, maybe I'll update this later to be more accurate, but that's not really the focus of the story so I'm not too worried about it. No one fuss in the meantime though! Just close your eyes and pretend....

_“Mai, I’m a priest.”_

Mai lay awake, those words echoing in her ears again and again. She pressed a pillow over her head, heat rising to her face, _Stupid, why did you kiss him?_

It had been six months since Naru and Lin had returned to England, closing the office of Shibuya Psychic Research on their way out of the country. The six remaining members of the former SPR had stayed in touch, unable to accept that their ghost hunting days were over. Ayako had rented a new office space for them soon after, funding the next chapter of their paranormal investigations.

Takigawa had taken over as their new leader, deciding which cases they would take and which they would refuse. Ayako begrudgingly settled for second in command, constantly reminding everyone whose money was keeping the lights on. Mai and Yasuharu resumed their roles as office staff/junior investigators while John and Masako stayed on as consultants, being called in when their expertise was required.

John had been spending more time in the office lately, happy to help out as more than just a catholic exorcist; cataloging equipment, filing cases, and helping Yasuhara with research. Mai had enjoyed having him around more, she was always fond of the Australian priest, she just didn’t realize how fond.

It had been the end of a case, a particularly grueling one involving a powerful poltergeist. Mai and John stood at the back of the van, packing up the last of the equipment. Takigawa and Ayako were inside debriefing with the family, Masako had already left, and Yasuhara was back at the office. John had a bruise on his temple, a wound that he had acquired during the final exorcism. Mai had reached out to touch it, John meeting her hand with his as he reassured her with a gentle smile...

Then she was kissing him.

He had pulled away from her in shock, “Mai, I’m a priest.”

_“Mai, I’m a priest.”_

_“Mai, I’m a priest.”_

“Stupid!” Mai shouted into her pillow.

Luckily, Takigawa and Ayako had been too dense to notice the tension between the two young people in the backseat on the drive back to the office, and John had politely left soon after, apologizing about a headache. No one questioned it.

And now here she was, at home, in bed, staring at the ceiling at 2:00am, sure she would never sleep again.

_He’s a priest._

_“Mai, I’m a priest.”_

She grumbled as she rolled over, further tangling her legs into the disheveled blankets around her. “What am I going to do?”

*~*

“Pretend it never happened!” Mai declared as she marched down the street towards the office the next morning, a cup of coffee in each hand. She almost died with relief when she noticed John’s car missing from the parking lot. _Thank you, Jesus!_

“Good Morning Yasu!” Mai called out as she burst into the office.

“Good morning Mai,” the college student smiled sweetly, “oh, is one of those coffees for me? You shouldn’t have-” 

“I didn’t do anything!” Mia shouted.

“What?”

“What?”

The two stared at each other, the silence quickly growing awkward around them. Mai shook her head, snapping out of it. “These coffees are mine. I smooched- sipped! Drank... both of them... I’ll make some tea! You want tea? I want tea! I’m making tea,” Mai declared as she quickly rushed to the make-shift kitchen in the other room, tossing the dregs of her coffee into the trash.

 _So smooth, he’ll never suspect a thing,_ Mai nodded to herself confidently as she filled the teakettle with water.

“Did you sleep last night?” Yasuhara asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway. Mai dropped the kettle into the sink, startled by his unexpected presence, the resounding clatter rattling her bones.

“Nope...uh, scared...too scared. Ghosts, right? They clergy- clearly! Are... very spooky!” Mai laughed loudly as she stumbled to collect the kettle and set it gently on the hot plate. _So gently, because nothing happened, I didn’t kiss him... gently...not me! It was Ayako, yeah, Ayako did it. It was clearly the work of an Earth spirit!_

“Well,” Yasuhara blinked at her, dumbfounded, “luckily it’s a slow day today, just have to file all of the data from that last case in the archive.”

“Yes, I will do that. Alone, in the archive room, me, Mai,” she stated as she headed for the door. “Here I go!”

“Mai?”

“Huh?”

“The tea?” Yasuhara gestured to the unattended pot.

“Yasu,” she fixed her face to look very serious as she clung to the doorframe, “I am... so very tired.”

“I’ll bring you a cup when it’s ready,” he chuckled as he reached for the tea grounds.

“You’re my favorite!” She smiled with a dramatic flourish.

“Right back at you, little boss,” he replied with a silly wink. 

_Nailed it,_ Mai puffed her chest out with pride at her ability to act totally normal in front of her non-priest coworker, turning on her heel and walking straight into- _male, tall, brunette, thank God,_ “It’s Monk!” She exclaimed with joy.

“It’s Mai?” Takigawa replied nervously as he separated himself from her, “you okay?”

“Great, good morning, and... I’m going to the archive stuff now. It’s very important, so don’t disturb me,” Mai narrowed her eyes at him before marching to her desk, picking up the nearest box of papers and hard drives and stumbling to the archive closet.

“Is she possessed?” Takigawa whispered to Yasuhara.

“Given our profession, I would say it is very likely,” he giggled in response.

*~*

 _Everything is fine, everything is fine, everything is fine,_ Mai chanted to herself as she struggled to focus on her work. The archive closet was a small, windowless room, a wooden table with two chairs positioned between the walls of filing cabinets. Yasuhara brought her tea in the largest cup he could find, along with her laptop, since she needed it to access the data on the hard drives. 

“I won’t tell on you if you take a nap in here,” he whispered to her casually as he placed everything on the table.

“I see ghosts when I nap,” she stared at him, wide-eyed.

“Well...try anyways,” he breathed dramatically.

Mai gave him a half-hearted grin as she wearily rested her chin on her open palm.

“In all seriousness Mai, are you okay?” Yasuhara asked as he sat down next to her.

“I uh...” Mai stammered, trying to push her sillies aside and allow herself to be sincere for the first time today, “I just have a lot on my mind. Just some stuff to figure out. I’ll be fine.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I appreciate it, but no. I’ll be fine.”

Her smile died on her lips when she heard the front door open and close, a voice calling out “G’day,” filling the room beyond the safety of the archive closet with priestly holiness.

_“Mai, I’m a priest.”_

“Actually, I think I’ll nap, napping sounds amazing,” Mai bluffed, sugar coating her smile to further convince Yasuhara.

“I’ll cover for you,” he said with a wink, “and seriously, I’m here if you need to talk.”

“Thank you.”

Mai found herself subconsciously leaning to conceal herself from sight as Yasuhara opened the archive door and closed it tight behind him.

_“Mai, I’m a priest.”_

She stayed in that closet all day, Takigawa coming in once to check on her. _Maybe I’ll leave early, or stay late, be the last to leave. Yeah, that should be the safest._

“Hey,” Yasuhara startled her as he poked his head into the archive closet later, “we’re all calling it a night, can you lock up when you’re done?”

“No problem!” Mai gave him double thumbs up, cheering internally that her escape would soon be possible. She really had to use the bathroom.

“Please sleep tonight, it’s company policy, you have no choice,” Yasuhara joked lightly.

“And tomorrow morning I will bring you a coffee, I owe you that much for being a weirdo all day,” Mai smirked with a blush.

“Sounds like a plan, little boss,” he gave her a salute before gently closing the door again.

Mai remained still, listening intently for the office door to close for the final time, the voices of her friends fading away down the hallway, down the stairs, and out into the world beyond.

Finally, she was safe.

She heaved a sigh, one day down, the rest of her life to go! Hiding from her problems was easy, hiding her feelings was also easy, especially when the problem of her feelings worked with her, in the same office, and was also a part of her tight-knit ghost hunting family. No. Big. Deal.

_“Mai, I’m a priest.”_

“I know you are,” she sighed again.

She would have to talk to him eventually, have to explain...

 _Maybe tomorrow, yeah, that’s for Tomorrow-Mai to deal with,_ she nodded with surety, _and Tomorrow-Mai is a badass who is so confident and calm and collected!_

She finished filing her sloppy work, it was good enough, no one would even notice. Shutting down her laptop, she snapped it shut, tucking it under one arm as she opened the closet door and stepped into the empty office.

Except, it wasn’t empty.

A blonde, Australian priest looked up at her from where he sat on the couch.

 _Today-Mai is totally screwed._  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't seen this pairing a lot (probably for obvious reasons) so I figured I would take it upon myself to write one. We get down to the emotional stuff in chapter two! Clearly I was having way too much fun writing silly sleepy Mai, she is adorbs, and her and Yasu's friendship is my favorite.


	2. Chapter 2

“Mai,” John stood to address her, “we need to talk.”

_“I’m a priest.”_

“Yeah,” she replied quietly.

“About yesterday... what do you think of me, Mai?” John started softly.

“Well... I...” She stuttered, avoiding his gaze.

“Because, that... kiss. That wasn’t real, right?”

“What?”

“From the moment we first met, you have only ever had eyes for Kauzuya- or Oliver...Noll- Naru, whoever he is. You hung on his every word, blushed every time he was near you. Everyone knew that you had a thing for him, it was obvious,” John balled his hands into fists as he continued, “we haven’t heard from him or Lin in months. I don’t know, but... was kissing me just a way to make yourself feel better?”

“What?” Mai gasped at the accusation, “John, you don’t understand-”

“Was I just an easy target?” He raised his voice as anger etched across his face, “am I just an easy outlet because I’m part of the clergy? A safe bet because nothing could ever happen between us? You could just move on, it would be nothing, I would be nothing.” 

Mai flinched, she had never seen John like this before. He had always been soft and kind, but now he stared at her with cold, commanding eyes, ripping her apart with his words as if she were an evil spirit in need of exorcism. 

“You are cruel Mai, you can’t play with people like that. Why would you do that to me? You’re in love with Kazuya-”

“I was in love with Gene!” Mai silenced him with her shout.

He gaped at her, panting as the fury melted from his face. 

Mai sunk into a chair, depositing her laptop on the closest surface, bringing her hands to her face.

“It was always Gene. He was the one in my dreams, the one who smiled at me and encouraged me, protected me,” Mai felt a mist of tears come to her eyes as she continued, “when his body was found, when we learned the whole truth, I confronted Naru, confessed all of my feelings and he asked me if I felt that way about him or Gene... and it was Gene, I was in love with Gene, I had been the whole time.”

“Was?” John asked softly as he sank back onto the couch.

“He’s dead, John, his spirit has moved on and I have mourned him. I’ve moved on too,” Mai explained with a small smile, “I will always be there for Naru, if he ever decides to come back into our lives I will be there as a friend. But love? I’ve thought about it a lot, about what I want in love. I want to be with someone who is kind, someone who admires and respects me, who helps me grow with encouragement instead of insults. I don’t want to be with Naru, I want...”

John gripped his hands together tightly, “I can’t be what you want.”

“John-”

“Yasuhara, even Takigawa, they could be. Yasuhara makes you laugh, Takigawa has helped you trust in your powers more, they both encourage you like you want.... so why not them?” He spoke quickly, desperate to deflect her affections.

“They’re not you.”

John stood suddenly, turning his back on her as he crossed the room, creating as much distance between them as possible. “Mai, I’m a priest. Do you know what that means?”

“I know.”

“I took a vow when I was ordained,” he spun to face her, eyes blazing, “my faith is everything to me. Ever since I was young, I have always wanted to be a servant of God, I was always meant to be a servant of God.”

He was shaking with effort.

“You’re Father Brown,” Mai said slowly, “when you’re in your collar and robes, I know that. But right now, in your blue sweater and khakis, you’re just John,” she took small steps towards him as she continued her confession, “All I see is John, John who is confident and brave, clever and curious, John who makes me smile every day just by being himself. And despite everything, even though I know I shouldn’t, I’ve fallen for John, I did a while ago, I just didn’t realize it until I was kissing you yesterday.”

“We can’t do this...” he breathed helplessly.

“I know. I didn’t mean for this to happen. Kissing you was selfish, and I’m sorry,” Mai replied sincerely, stepping around him towards the door, “it won’t happen again.”

She felt fingers on her wrist, a hand spinning her around until she was enveloped in John’s arms, her face pressed against his chest. She blinked with surprise as he held her close, “God, give me strength,” she heard him whisper under his breath in English.

She slowly wrapped her arms around him, feeling him shudder under her touch. His faith and his heart had always been in alignment, now she felt them fracture beneath his skin as he buried his face in her hair. “Mai,” he spoke softly, “I’ve fallen for you as well.”

Mai felt heat flood into her face, her heart racing as she basked in the words that she had been longing to hear him say. That should have been enough, it should have been easy, two teenagers in love, but it was anything but. She could feel the crucifix he wore around his neck digging into her from beneath his shirt, pushing them apart. John belonged to God, he was a priest, but she couldn’t bear to let him go.

“I have a lot to think about,” he finally spoke, still holding her tightly.

“I understand.”

“I can’t make any promises.”

“I know.”

He pulled away, looking tenderly into her eyes, “Just don’t hide from me tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay,” Mai giggled at her own silliness.

She examined his face fondly, his blonde hair hanging into deep blue eyes, his upturned nose, his smiling lips. The bruise on his temple was just starting to turn yellow around the edges. Not thinking, she reached to touch it again.

He caught her hand quickly, hesitating before guiding it to rest on his cheek. He sighed deeply under the warmth of her touch, innocently brushing his lips against her palm before stepping away from her entirely. “Be patient with me,” he pleaded gently.

“Of course,” she smiled, her hand tingling with the memory of his kiss.

“See you in the morning,” he smiled back at her, quickly grabbing his coat and heading for the door.

She watched him go, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts and feelings as she stood alone in the office. She couldn’t believe what had just happened, that he felt the same way she did. But did all of her crushes have to be complicated? First, she was in love with a ghost, now with a priest. _Way to go Mai, you’re a real Casanova,_ she grumbled to herself. 

_“Mai, I’m a priest.”_

_“Mai, I’ve fallen for you as well.”_

She couldn’t help but smile, her cheeks flushing pink. She had hope that everything would work out in the end. “We’ll see,” she hummed, resolving to be patient as John had asked.

After all, patience is a virtue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END!
> 
> This is the end of the story! 
> 
> But (ashamedly) I am adding an epilogue...
> 
> Look! I realize that nobody writes this pair because there is no way for them to have a happy and healthy and adorable relationship together, for obvious reasons! But screw that, these two are getting a happy ending. I took on this challenge and I will see it through to the end!
> 
> I am still happy with this ending though, so the epilogue is optional. If you are happy with this ending too, then don't read chapter three, I won't be mad. BUT if you want a little bonus fluff in your life, please indulge me :)
> 
> See ya!


	3. BONUS EPILOGUE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of our story had a nice little implied maybe happy ending, but neither you or I are satisfied with that. We need more sweet kissing and cuteness, which is why we are here....
> 
> These two little shrimp puffs are getting their happy ending! Even if I have to break all of the rules and the 4th wall to do it... which I do.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> (this is silly and I'm sorry)  
> (but also I'm not sorry...)

Mai and John sat on the office couch together, leaving plenty of room between them for Jesus. Mai twitched under the thick silence between them, gripping a fresh cup of tea, trying to keep herself steady. John was staring blankly at a religious text that he held close to his face, his own cup of tea steaming on the table before him, already forgotten.

It had been a week since Mai and John had confessed their true feelings for each other, and in that time, they had simply carried on with their charade of friendship. Patience was a virtue, but it wasn’t solving any of their problems.

“Guess what!” Yasuhara suddenly burst through the front door of the office, waving his phone in triumph, “you know the new Pope that was elected yesterday?”

“What about him?” John perked up, closing his book.

“He just announced a bunch of changes that he’s making in order to bring the catholic church into the twenty-first century,” Yasuhara replied as he posed dramatically in front of his coworkers.

“What changes?” Mai asked eagerly, moving to the edge of her seat.

“Priests are now allowed to marry,” Yasuhara announced, smiling at John, “it’s official.”

“Are you serious?” John rose from his seat in shock.

“Of course, this is a fanfic after all, anything is possible,” Yasuhara simpered.

“This is a what now?” Mai puzzled.

“Also, women can be ordained as priests,” Yasuhara continued as he scrolled through the article on his phone, “Gay marriage is legal everywhere... wow, Seaweed_Sister has really outdone herself.”

“Seaweed...who?” Mai stared at Yasuhara, her confusion doubling.

“Thank you, Jesus,” John exclaimed to the heavens.

“You’re welcome,” Jesus said as he put on his aviators, leaning back on the couch with his hands behind his head.

“Hey Jesus,” Yasuhara said, “we should totally leave the room now so these two can have an adorably written intimate moment.”

“Agreed,” Jesus nodded, appearing next to Yasuhara in a puff of smoke, linking arms with the college student and leading him out the front door, “also, you have become far too self-aware, you will need to be reset.”

“Sounds like fun!”

Mai stared after the two with concern, “I feel like we should be worried about them...”

“None of that matters!” John articulated as he reached for her hands, pulling her off the couch, “Mai, priests can get married now, they can have relationships!”

“I can’t believe it,” Mai smiled, “honestly, I had been preparing myself all week to let you go?”

“Let me go?”

“You are a man of faith, John, a priest and a powerful exorcist, and I love you for who you are, all of you. How could I possibly ask you to give any of that up just so we could be together?” Mai cast her eyes downward in shame. 

“Well, now you don’t have to,” John reassured her as he squeezed her hands tightly, “we can be together, just you and me, exactly the way that we are.”

She looked him over fondly, he was wearing that blue sweater again, the one that she liked so much. Reaching for his collar, she found the golden chain that he wore around his neck, pulling the crucifix out of the confines of his shirt. She ran her thumb over the religious symbol as she admired it, the pendent warm to the touch from his body heat. The cross was no longer a symbol that she feared, a barrier keeping them apart, now it glimmered as a true beacon of hope, one that could only bring them together.

Stepping forward, she buried her face in his chest, breathing in the faint scent of frankincense that radiated from his skin as relief washed over her. It was finally easy, they could finally be together without shame or worry. She gave a small giggle, one that quickly escalated into a full laugh. John wrapped his arms around her, swiftly picking her up as they laughed together, spinning in a moment of pure joy and liberation.

He set her down delicately, holding her steady as they swayed in a wave of dizziness, their chuckles finally subsiding. John’s hand shook as he tucked a stray lock of Mai’s hair behind her ear, cupping her cheek as he smiled down at her fondly. His blue eyes searched her face, pausing briefly on her lips before gazing deeply into her soft brown eyes. “Mai,” he whispered gently.

Before she could respond, his lips were on her’s, tenderly taking her in. It didn’t take long for her to push past her surprise and kiss him back, tangling her fingers into his blonde locks, feeling him smile as she leaned into him. They relished in each other’s touch in that moment of young intimacy, cradling each other as they kissed and kissed.

John finally pulled away, his breath coming quick as he rested his forehead against her’s. “Mai,” he continued from where he had left off, “I would like to take you on a date.”

“I would love that, Father Brown,” Mai teased as she pressed a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

John couldn’t help but smile, his hand moving to her waist as he kissed her deeply. “We should probably go before someone walks in on us,” he mumbled against her lips.

“Good point,” Mai nodded as she reluctantly broke away from him, looking over his shoulder only to see Takigawa leaning against the far wall, daintily sipping a cup of tea, “Monk?”

“Yo,” he replied casually.

“How long have you been standing there?” John turned to address him, a slight blush rising to his cheeks.

“Long enough,” Takigawa shrugged, draining the rest of the cup, “You kids go have fun. Yasu, Jesus, and I will take care of things here.”

“Thanks?” Mai called after him as he casually strutted back to his office, “that was weird.”

“It’s a fanfic, what do you expect?” John spoke rhetorically as he grabbed both of their coats from the rack.

“What does that even mean?”

“Don’t think about it too much,” John smiled as he took Mai’s hand in his, “anyways, you and I have some adorable dating to do.”

“Sounds good to me.”


End file.
